For the Record: I Didn't Choose This
by Mazzles
Summary: Severus Snape lets his conscience get the better of him after the Mutt dies at the Ministry. Checking up on Potter, he is forced inform the Headmaster about the boy's living situation.Severitus.
1. Ignorance is Bliss

Harry wiped the sweat off of his forehead, yanking at a particularly stubborn weed that seemed to be taunting him as the sun beat down on his bare neck. The baggy t-shirt she wore nearly reached his kneecaps, and the collar of it was so stretched from Dudley's head-sized, short neck that it looked for all the world as if the Boy-Who-Lived was wearing an eighties style one-shouldered shirt. The other side kept slipping down too, and he was dangerously close to showing the whole neighborhood his scrawny pectoral muscles..

His black hair was so wet it was actually lying flat, but his green eyes were heavy with his exhaustion. He had been weeding for three hours now and wondered absentmindedly if Aunt Petunia was trying to kill him for waking her up screaming every night, or if she just genuinely liked seeing him out here dying of sunstroke. He knew he could just go to Mrs. Figg's if he needed to get away from all this, but it seemed like giving in to Harry, and he wouldn't give Petunia the satisfaction.

Unaware he was being watched, he took a small bit of something from his pocket. It was Sirius' mirror fragment. He had taken to carrying it since the beginning of summer, after seeing those eyes staring back at him. This time there was nothing there but his own reflection, and he sighed softly before tucking it away.

He missed Sirius terribly, which felt barmy to say when he had met the man so few times even after finding out he was Harry's godfather, but the fact remained that if Sirius were alive, Harry could be living with him now. He could be at Grimmauld Place killing doxies and discarding of dark trinkets, slapping tape spelled to never come off over the top of his mum's batty old portrait.

Instead he was here with the Dursleys. Life had never promised to be fair, but sometimes Harry wondered why it was always determined to give him a shot in the pills.

* * *

><p>The dark-haired man watching him sneered in derision, still finding it hard to believe that Potter hadn't done something to deserve this back-breaking labor he was doing. Severus Snape had been charged with the boy's safety yes, but he had never promised to like him. Still, what he had seen in the boy's memories was abuse, clear-cut and without frills. Black was dead now, and it was better to let sleeping dogs lie…but Severus hadn't been able to sleep for the last two weeks. Not with Lily's accusing eyes glaring at him, silently castigating.<p>

He was a bitter, cynical bastard. But if the Potter boy was really treated ill for no reason... it was his duty to Lily to be sure he was removed from the care of these muggles. So far he had seen the boy doing more chores than a house elf. He was fed less than the toad he called cousin, and was locked in his room at night with three deadbolts. As if a locking door could keep the Potter brat out of mischief.

But that was just the issue. The boy had done nothing as far as Snape could surmise, to warrant being locked away (besides being James Potter's very likeness). He did his chores, let his cousin treat him like garbage, and silently endured his Aunt and Uncle telling him how no-good he really was. He never even shot them that defiant, patented Potter-glare. The one that Snape knew meant he had baited once too often.

So they didn't beat him. That was one thing to be blessed about. He would have ripped his own greasy locks out if he had been that wrong about the boy's life. Petunia smacked the back of his head one day, and the teenage cousin would punch his arm or shove him, but the boy was not physically abused beyond this. Still, he was used as a house-elf, had no decent muggle clothes, was purposely underfed, and the money the Dursleys were receiving from the Potter Fund (The Orphaned Boy-Who-Lived Fund, established after the death of his parents by bleeding-heart wizards, to be exact) was being squandered on Dudley Dursley every month.

Really, he had done very detailed research on the financial aspect of this matter. There was no quicker way to get results than to inform people their charitable deed had been turned into a malicious thing. And Petunia was indeed malicious with her spending of the Potter Fund. She would take the muggle money she received and use it to take her son out for new things once a month, saving the receipts in her pocketbook until the end of the day, as if to commemorate her one-upping the memory of her sister.

As if she was worth one of Lily's toenails. As if she was good enough to even have _Potter's_ cast off child. He may have hated the man, but Petunia Dursley was the lowest, most wretched woman he could ever remember to have walked the earth. She repeatedly told the boy he was taking food from his cousin's mouth, when in reality the fat lump would have none of his expensive things if Harry Potter didn't live in the house.

Severus Snape left on foot, apparating when he was far enough away. Invisibility charms were hard to cast, but it had been worth it. Now her damned eyes might be a little less reproachful. A little more kindly gleaming, with perhaps the hint of a smile.

Snape was a man of many eccentricities. He hated the Potter boy but was obligated to save him ,so he knew no better way to convince the Headmaster than to show him the memories. Granted, having Minerva, the Weasley mother and father, and that ragged wolf Lupin there had not been in his plans. When he had informed him the meeting was about Potter, and that it was as serious a meeting as Severus himself had ever asked for, the old fool had decided to make it even more uncomfortable for him.

Part of him thought he was trying to ease the minds of some Order members regarding Snape's allegiances. As if it was any of their concern.

He went over everything, from what he had gleaned in Occlumency lessons to his own investigations. Dumbledore's twinkling eyes dimmed degree by degree, as if there was a sun behind them that was slowly dying.

Then the shite really started to fly. The Weasleys mentioned bars on the windows, and how they had believed it was just one of the twins many fabrications, Lupin was shocked into inaction throughout. Minerva though, far from being stolid and composed, was glaring at Albus as if she might beat him about the head and shoulders with her wand .

All in all, it was about as melodramatic as it could have been. Snape just sat there, eyes flat and face unreadable. When everyone in the room finally finished being shocked or talking about what they could have done differently, Snape finally spoke.

" Now that the rather Gryffindorish tradition of being egotistical enough to accept blame for acts you did not perpetuate is over, I for one am curious as to whether or not anyone is going to do something about the situation, instead of just squandering all my hours of observation. It's obvious the brat needs new accommodations. "

Dumbledore nodded, looking for all the world as if he had aged eighty years in an hour. He stroked his bearded face for a moment.

"I am afraid there are not many worthy candidates for the position Severus. Even disregarding the protections Harry has at the Dursleys, I cannot adopt him. I am single, too old, and I have my Headmaster duties to attend to, or so they will say when I file my petition to adopt him. Arthur and Molly have too many children of their own to take in another. The only choices I can see that are essentially safe are you or Remus. Remus would have a devil of a time getting approved, and even if we did get the petition signed and Harry agreed to the adoption, we would be exposing him to the scrutiny of the Wizarding World."

Arthur looked to be bristling at Dumbledore's rather frank dismissal of Molly and himself. Severus however, was starting to get annoyed.

"Are you telling me that he has a shortage of available dupes who will take him in, Albus? If so, then you must be listening to his Aunt when she tells him how nobody wants the insufferable… Minerva, Pomona, Filius, hell, even Hagrid would adopt him! Instead you are trying to persuade me that your most viable options are not the family with a thousand children who are all tolerably intelligent and decent, or the old man with the bloody twinkly eyes , mounds of political clout, and pockets for of candy. No, you want me to believe the best in your arsenal for potential parental figures are a Death Eater who cannot stand the child, and a financially unstable werewolf who would eat the boy before he would know how to care for him."

The whole room was silent after Snape's monotone dressing down of the Headmaster. The man couldn't believe he had done it himself. It was just infuriating having this man who knew everything tell him an obvious lie about Potter's options... Unless Dumbledore himself didn't think he could get the boy into a home that wasn't in the Order. Did he really think that many wizards would turn the boy over to the Dark Lord?

* * *

><p>The owl was ragged and tired after flying three different places looking for Severus Bloody Snape, of all people. Not only did the man refuse to stroke his feathers or give him a treat when he delivered messages, he insisted on being so hard to reach that a simple drop-off turned into a hours long ordeal.<p>

He scented him and veritably flew into the headmaster's oval office window, scratching at the panes with his claws. The barn-owl refused to be held up anymore, and when a older woman opened the window with a wave of her wand, the bird began pelting Snape with its generous wingspan until he got the letter off. Fluttering out, he gave a vengeful hoot to the potions master, who looked about to screech with ire at this point.

* * *

><p>They had been arguing about the Potter child for neigh on three hours now.<p>

He saw the script on the letter though, and the sounds in the room muted to his ears.

The scrawl was as familiar as breathing. He had torn quite a few rude signs off of his back with this hand-writing.

Potter has come back from the grave to write him a letter. Severus slid the tape open and the first thing to fall out was a picture of a baby boy. He had Snapes ridiculous nose and dark hair, Lily's eyes, and a tiny infants outfit on that featured zooming snitches, bludgers, and quaffles on a blue background. Lily was holding the child in her arms.

Snape felt the strength in his legs nearly give out as the letter fluttered out of the envelope and into his hand. It had been waiting to be delivered for a very, very long time.

_Snape-_

_There was never any love lost between us. I was a flaming ass at the best of times, but somehow I got Lily and you got that damned Mark on your arm. You paid us back though, didn't you? You told Him about the prophecy, and now I can't sleep through a single night without thinking about how he will come here and try to kill them both. _

_If you are receiving this, it means everything has gone to shit. Harry has lost both his parents, and is in danger. And you are worried about him. You want to help him. If you didn't you would never have seen this at all. You are probably wondering about this picture, and I'll tell you what I know._

_Lily and I were about to get married and had a huge row the night before. She said she couldn't go through with it and left. The next day she showed up and we made things right and got hitched. Then nine or so months later, I have a Snape in the cradle. You can imagine how well that went over._

_You got the last laugh, you bastard. But I fell in love with Lily, and it was impossible not to forgive her when she told me everything. I never realized you two had that sort of friendship, or that I effectively stole her from under your misshapen nose while you were struggling with your own problems. She sowed her wild oats with you that night and put it behind her forever. Or so she thought. But Lilly knew people who could fix it, make the baby look like us. _

_I love Harry, and I know he will call me his father. I wanted to be. But if you are reading this then why on earth should Lily and I matter? The kid is alone and for some reason you are there to aid him in some way. That is something a father does, Snape. Do what you want with this information, burn it or consider taking this kid as your own. The illusions will only last for so long anyway. Dumbledore should know how to get rid of them, once he's aware they are there._

_-Potter_

Snape was trembling. He never trembled, never. Not even after Potter and Black tried to kill him. Not after he had found Lily gone the next morning, the morning after she had shown up on his doorstep and kissed him.

Potter was his son.

* * *

><p>Harry woke up with someone banging on the door to Dudley's spare room like they were going to break down the door. He rolled off the bed and scooped up a wand, ready to cast a defensive spell, when the thing flew off of the hinges, A purple-faced Vernon Dursley flying through it and into the opposing wall. He slumped down after the impact, dazed and a bit sick looking. Harry didn't lower his wand until he saw Dumbledore's face behind Snape.<p>

Snape himself didn't even stop to speak to Harry, though that wasn't a big surprise to the boy. Instead he scooped Uncle Vernon off of the floor and began casting several quietly whispered spells. Memories leaked out of the man's ears in silver torrents, all to fill a very large phial Snape held in his hand. Corking it after, Snape cast a rather terse spell that seemed to put the fat man to sleep.

Dumbledore walked over to Harry, taking his arm in that familiarly grandfather-ish way he had. His eyes were so serious Harry couldn't even say a word before the Headmaster began to speak.

"Professor Snape and I have some things to discuss with your relatives Harry. We have arranged for you to portkey to the Burrow for now, but one of us will be along after a day or so to explain some things. I will pack your trunk and then you may go."

He heard his Aunt Petunia raging at someone downstairs. It must have been Tonks, because he heard her mention a wonky-haired freak. Dumbledore waved his wand, spoke his spell, and the trunk packed itself and shrunk to fit into Harry's palm. Hedwig seemed to roll her eyes as she hurriedly flew out of the window, leaving Dumbledore to shrink her cage as well. She would not be port-keyed anywhere when she could stretch her wings instead.

" But Headm-"

That was as far as Harry got before Snape rounded on the boy, his eyes wide with rage. Harry found himself uncharacteristically frightened of him. He was as purple-faced as Vernon at this point, and his finger almost touched Harry's nose .

"DO NOT QUESTION YOUR ELDERS POTTER! TAKE THE DAMN PORTKEY BEFORE I HEX YOU INTO AN EARLY GRAVE, DO YOU HEAR ME?"

Harry felt the familiar cheekiness rise up in his throat, then thought of Sirius, falling slowly back into the veil. He held his hand out for the object, and when Dumbledore pressed a dirty acorn into it, tapped it with his wand, and Harry felt that familiar tug behind his navel, he sighed as he disappeared.

The room upstairs was quiet. Snape's enraged breaths were the only sound in the room, and Albus looked over the top of his half-moon glasses at him.

"Meaning to take up where Tobias left off? If you mean to alienate the boy I hope you know that I will try and take him from you, Severus. He doesn't deserve to be screamed at."

Severus shot the man a glare before thinking before he spoke. Dumbledore could and would make good on that promise if he hurt the brat. But he had simply been overwhelmed in the last day or so. Not only was the brat not living the charmed life of a hero, but he was a Snape. He and Lily Potter's damned "love" child.

" If you can spare pity for almost everyone else, including these damn muggles, then try to pinch up a spoonful for me as well. "

Sighing, he turned to go downstairs and get Petunia and the boy's memories of the abuse they had inflicted on Potter. Now that he had a blood relative to live with the transfer of guardianship would be effortless, but Severus wanted to eviscerate the Dursleys.

After that.. then he would worry about Potter.


	2. When You Say

Authors Note: Thank you to everyone who made FTR:IDCT a favorite! It was a surprisingly good showing for a first chapter, and a flawed one at that. I had to go back and re-insert my line-breaks, sorry for the confusion! I also corrected a few grammatical errors on my part. Forgive me if you find any I missed; I write most of my pieces in the dead of night when I get off work. I really appreciate the reviews I have received, and urge all you Favoriters to review if you get a free minute. I take a lot of story cues from my audience, so if you want to see specific scenes, characters, or reactions I missed, drop a review!

I received a very nice review about how I am keeping Snape in character, and I felt so happy about it! One of the biggest struggles with Severitus stories is keeping Snape IC. Well, enough of my dithering…

Chapter Two: When You Say "I Can't", You Mean, "I Don't Want To."

Severus was holding the sheaf adoption papers in his hand like they were used toilet paper. He still hadn't been able to find a single second to think about this action he was taking, and this was purposeful. If he backed out now then he was no better than Potter's useless aunt Petunia. He disliked the child, but he would not abuse him. After all, he was Severus' own son, after a fashion. But the fact remained that the boy was rash, irritating, and hated him.

The feeling had been mutual until recently. Now Severus had opted for pure disdain instead, it didn't give him green-eyed nightmares. Lily now sat off into the distance, looking at him as though through a very thin veil. She was watching him, the dreams told him. She was watching to see what he would do. Whether this was his own subconscious or the woman he still loved actually coming to him, Severus didn't know or care to guess.

He was sitting at his desk now, pen hovering over the signature line of the adoption document. Wizarding laws were much more lax on asking the children who they wanted to end up with. The signing of this paper would transfer the Potter guardianship to him, and effectively change the boy's name to Snape. As soon as it was official Snape was going to strip those damned glamours from the boy and reveal his true face to the world. Maybe it would be easier to stand him when he wasn't staring at James Potter all damned day.

Still…A child to care for was a huge responsibility. He had plenty of money squirreled away in Gringott's, but the boy's coffers would be added to the Snape vault if he willed it. Did he? Would he leave it for when the child got older? What about careers? He couldn't let the boy bank on an Auror's job, not with the Ministry so keen to turn their back on him whenever it was convenient.

Here he was worrying about the future of a child who he didn't give a Knut about a week ago. But these were legitimate questions; he wouldn't let the brat sit at Spinner's End until he was fifty, becoming a lazy sack of filth like his grandfather had been.

In the back of his mind, he realized he was demonizing the boy now. He was nothing like Tobias. But old habits were hard to nix. Figuring he should best get on with it, he pressed his pen to the paper and signed.

The contract sealed itself, the parchment seeming to form a mouth.

"Thank you Mr. Snape. Your guardianship papers will be filed accordingly."

It disappeared with a barely audible pop, and Severus went back to brooding. It wasn't productive, but it was summer, who said he had to be busy every second of the day?

* * *

><p>Harry had spent two days so far in the company of the Weasleys. Usually he would be overjoyed by this, but they had been acting so strangely he was starting to get uncomfortable. Well, the two parents at least were being awkward. Ron even noticed it, and told Harry he thought the Order must be up to something that had to do with him. Great.<p>

"One more thing to worry about."

Phineaus Nigellus snorted in his portrait. Harry turned his gaze to the snarky painting wish resigned and dampened spirits about him.

"What? I'm not allowed to be upset about things even when I'm alone?"

The painted man shrugged his shoulders, looking bored with Harry already, when they hadn't even begun a conversation.

"Give into your adolescent angst if that's your prerogative. You are actually about to get good news, from what I hear at Hogwarts. "

Harry looked visibly relieved for a moment, before returning to brooding.

"If it's good news why is everyone acting so..."

"So strange? Well, I expect they were waiting for confirmation, but I know for sure it's going to happen. You should get the word tonight boy. Pretend to be surprised. "

He turned to step out of his portrait, but Harry had one more question for him.

"Wait! Why are you telling me this if it's a secret?"

Phineaus Nigellus smiled, in a small and smarmy Slytherin way.

"Why Mr. Potter, I didn't tell you anything that is secret. I simply told you that there is a secret, and that it doesn't bode ill for you. But if you want to know why I decided to alert you to the existence of said secret, it's for one simple reason. Sirius Black was my relative, and he would have wanted you to be a happy child, not one who locked himself away and brooded needlessly. It's tragically Gryffindorish."

And with that, Harry was alone again.

Feeling better than he had since Sirius died, he left the mirror shard in his pocket on Ron's nightstand, and went to see if anyone wanted to play a game of Quidditch.

* * *

><p>Molly Weasley and her husband Arthur had been tense with each other for days. Usually a lack of money didn't bother Molly. They had clothing and food, and they were happy. But she had been listless and snappy since the meeting in Dumbledore's office, and when the children got out to play Quidditch she turned to Arthur to say something about the state of the brooms they had, only to find his face buried in a book on muggle cooking.<p>

For some reason this was the last straw. She set down her wand, which had been busily setting up the lunch trappings, and began to cry heartily. Arthur set his book down, looking at once both worried and fearful for his wife. She wasn't one to cry easily, his Molly. Setting his arm around her, he set to rubbing small circles down the small of her back.

"Hush now, what's got you all in a state? I haven't seen you cry since-"

"Severus Snape hates that poor boy; you know it as well as I do! Even if he gets past that, he's never had a family of his own to care for, and Harry has had such a r-rough go of things! His godfather dies,and those h-horrible muggles mistreat him, and now Severus Snape for a father? He's Dumbledore's spy, if something where to happen to him, Harry would be homeless all over again!"

Arthur knew this wasn't entirely about Snape, Harry, or the muggles. Molly had adopted that tiny, thin child before she had ever known about his living situation, and treated him like an extra son. She had always had a plan to adopt him, some musing daydream where she could have him at the Burrow. Arthur loved the boy dearly, but he was more grounded in sense on this issue. They did have many mouths to feed. Ron loved Harry as a friend, but as a brother it would be too much for his youngest son. It was hard enough to share your parents with six siblings, but with your famous best friend?

Still, the shot about money had wounded him as well. He reached up, taking Molly's cheek into his hand and caressing it softly. He was amazed by how little the years had softened her beauty. It was this very protectiveness in her he had adored about her in the beginning.

"Molly, you can't save the whole world simply by wishing it. Harry loves us, but think of it. He has been an orphan his whole life and now he has a chance to know what it's like to have a real father. Would you really want to take him away from the chance of having that? And for what? A home where he would be just another son out of a host of them? And you know Ginny is desperately in love with him. Severus Snape will be forced to give up his spying now, I'm sure of it. He was Lily's best friend throughout school, and we owe it to whatever she saw in him to give him the benefit of the doubt. If things don't work out, then we will talk to Dumbledore about any other options. "

She sniffled into his shirt, wishing for the entire world that Harry was her boy. He needed a mother, that one. But she was too_ poor_ to substitute, apparently.

"I h-hope your right dear. For Harry's sake."

* * *

><p>Hermione sat down with her mother and father for breakfast, a giant Arithmancy tome opened up about midway. She was getting her pleasure reading out of the way before beginning her N.E.W.T. studies. After all it was never too early to get a start, was it? After all every time she thought she would do well on a test she was reminded of her disastrous showing in Remus Lupin's defense final. Not only has she done horribly, but Harry had beaten her!<p>

Her mother watched her with a little grin on her face, wondering when exactly her daughter would see how truly brilliant she was. Even that cheeky Snape fellow graded her potions essays and couldn't find much worse to say then that she wrote fragmented sentences from time to time and exceeded proper length too much. But like any other teenage girl, whenever she was complimented she would immediately try to convince that person they were completely wrong. Oh the joys of youth.

Hermione was just taking a bite of her toast when the familiar scratch of an owl at the window made her jump to go see who it was. To Hermione's slight disappointment it was simply the post-owl, and she slid the appropriate amount into his little coin pouch before sending him off again. Taking a seat, she set aside her book, careful to mark her place.

Cracking open the seal that kept the paper rolled up neatly, she looked at the front page. Hermione blinked once, set the paper on the table, blinked owlishly at it yet again, and then proceeded to read the entire cover story before shutting the paper, rushing out of the room, returning with a piece of parchment and a bewildered look on her face, and starting to write.

Mrs. Granger reached over and used her fingertips to scoot the paper to her side of the mahogany table, and there on the front page was a picture of two boys. One was her friend Harry, and the other was a scrawny, tall boy with red hair. He had the same emerald green eyes as the boy beside him, but a large and rather unpleasantly hooked nose. He seemed a bit sallow as well, but not horribly. If he had a different shape about that nose she might have mistaken him for a Weasley.

The caption must have been what had Hermione in shock.

**Ministry In Turmoil: Harry Potter's Secret Identity**

She read the article and tried to pick the true bits from the fluff. It seemed that this poor boy, who had been considered an orphan, actually had a father. His mother had conceived him out of wedlock and changed the way he looked to hide it. So instead of being happy the poor child had a living relative, people had decided to write this absolute rubbish instead of wishing him luck with the man.

"This is utter rubbish."

Hermione didn't hear her mother; she was too busy finishing her haste words for Harry, so haste she had written them in ink pen on parchment, blotting the surface rather harshly. She had to know if this was true or not. If it was then… then maybe Harry wasn't the boy from the prophecy at all. She had never believed that utter nonsense anyway, but this would cement it! And to top it off, Snape had always been trying to protect Harry, even if he was spectacularly rude when he did it. He would have to be nice now that Harry was his ward. At least that's what Hermione chose to believe.

* * *

><p>The first thing Snape had done when he had entered the Weasley's home was tell Albus to take the charms off of the boy. It would be hard enough explaining things, and he couldn't promise not to snap at the Potter-spawn across from him if the boy continued wearing James Potter's face. Albus looked ready to argue, but held out his hand in the boy's direction.<p>

Harry, who had been asked to stay in the kitchen when the rest of the children were sent off to bed, stood and went to the Headmaster's side, feeling like a very thin dog being surveyed by prospective owners. These were all friendly faces, all but Snape of course. It was just weird to have them all looking at him so…pityingly.

He looked into Albus Dumbledore's twinkling eyes. For a bare moment he wondered if this was about the tantrum in his office; were they going to yell at him for it?

"Did I do something wrong, sir?"

He looked almost as if he might cry, taking Harry's hand. A sudden feeling like a ghost passing through him chilled Harry. Then he began to feel odd.

"No, my dear boy. As always, the blame doesn't rest on your shoulders. What I just did was remove a very strong bit of spell-casting on the part of a few strong witches or wizards your mother knew. I haven't been able to find any of them yet, but she had good reason for doing what she did. I want you to understand that simple fact right now, Harry. Your mother did this to protect you. "

Snape remained completely silent while Dumbledore went into excruciating detail. Harry's mind whirled like a dervish to keep up with the revelations he was being given. His mother's best friend was Severus bloody Snape. His father had forgiven her for nearly leaving him for the man. Snape was Harry's biological father.

The boy looked at his feet the whole time Dumbledore spoke. Severus wondered if the dunderhead was even absorbing the import of this situation, of the enormous responsibility Snape was undertaking in becoming his guardian. One couldn't tell by looking at him. No, instead Severus expected the dunce would begin drooling down his chin before too long.

After Albus explained everything, Harry looked up at him, opened his mouth, and croaked out something that sounded like a request to be excused for a moment. The boy fairly dashed from the room, entering the nearest bathroom in the hall and locking the door against intrusion. He was almost afraid to turn and look in the mirror. When he finally did, the results did nothing to comfort him.

Molly nearly took off Albus' arm when she heard the tiny, soft sobs from behind that door. Thankfully Arthur had forced her to take half of a Calming Draught before this started, sort of a preemptive strike. Harry had never cried before, except perhaps out of pain. The sound of this compressed, forcibly quiet cries made the man's chest ache.

Harry could have laughed at himself in derision. Had he really thought he would still be tolerable? No, of course not, the world couldn't tolerate throwing him a single break. Of course he had the great bat's giant nose. And the damn scar was still there, would always be there. Instead of Vernon and Petunia giving him coat-hangers for Christmas he would have to hear Snape telling him about the jolly time he had boffed his mother.

What would Ron and Hermione do now? Ron hated Snape more than Harry did, and now it would be him against his own best friend. Hermione had always stuck up for the man, but would she really want to be around Harry once she saw how much ridicule he was going to get from everyone at Hogwarts? Malfoy was going to have a field day with this.

It was too much. First Sirius had died, and now he had to go live with the one person on earth who hated him as much as Voldemort did.

He began to cry, berating himself for it the whole time. Never once did he think to notice the tiny ladybug perched on the tiny open shutter of the bathroom window, getting the scoop of a lifetime. Two seconds before he had come in she had been pressing her ear against the bathroom door to hear every word Dumbledore said.

After all, she hadn't been stupid enough to forget the imprisonment Hermione had inflicted, and for the right scoop she was more than willing to publish it anonymously. That little girl hadn't tasted Rita's revenge yet.

She flew off into the night, hopeful that she would be able to use a pensieve to pull up a memory of the Snape-nosed Potter and get a picture made for the Prophet.

It had taken thirty minutes for the simpering child to compose himself, and after he came out he apologized and told them he had needed a minute to wrap his mind around things. Molly tittered , pulled the boy to her chest in spite of all efforts to let him feel grown up, and told him everything would be fine. Harry wished he could believe her, and closed his eyes for just a moment, pretending he was one of her sons.

That gave him something to joke about, if in a stiff and sort of sad way. He just didn't want them to think he couldn't handle this. He had to remember to keep his composure.

"I have Weasley hair now. At least when we go to Diagon Alley nobody will want to take pictures."

"You have Evans hair Potter, or do you devalue your mother's sacrifice so easily?"

Harry bit back a snarky retort, and Dumbledore gave Snape a pointed look from his seat at the kitchen table. Struggling not to hoist the brat bodily from this house full of sentimental do-gooders, he decided to try and be neutral. That was easier than kind and better than vicious, at any rate.

"…It was her favorite feature. That is all I meant. Now P-"

" It's Snape now, I suppose? Just get on with that then. I need to get used to hearing it."

Severus had expected the child to cling stubbornly to his previous name. But he didn't understand Harry's brave face. If he accepted the hardest things, then Snape didn't win. Besides, the last thing he needed was to be called nothing but Boy and Potter.

"Very well, Mr. _Snape_. I have yet to finish setting up my personal residence for your use, so you will remain with the Weasley's until the start of term. At that time you will return to Hogwarts. We will have to announce this to the Wizarding World, but start of term will be better. I will visit here regularly to try and…well. I will come. Your muggle relatives are being prosecuted, so I will be kept busy sorting out that sorry state of affairs. JamesPotter left his vault to you with no stipulations, so you will retain the key. I will get monthly statements as to your spending habits however."

He seemed to say this with a bit of his smug tone, like he would catch Harry buying gold cauldrons and silver boots. The boy bit back another rather rude remark and nodded.

"I want you to use some money to go with Mrs. Weasley for new out of school and in school clothing however. It was noticed your muggle relatives dressed you in rags of your cousins. I wonder why you did not replace them when you came into your vault. Well, that situation will be rectified at any rate. No Snape will be passed around in pauper's clothing."

Harry's face was so red that Molly thought he might have an apoplexy. The boy finally exploded then.

"For your information, I knew if they found out about the vault they would take it, so why would I buy muggle clothes only to have them ask questions, or have my aunt ruin them in the wash on purpose, or have Dudley beat me up until they all have tears and mess from hiding or fighting him? I'm not stupid you know!"

"Don't you dare talk back to your father!"

"My _father _can't stand the sight of me!"

Dumbledore laid a hand on Severus' shoulder. " That is quite enough of that. Harry, I would like for you to go to sleep now, or try to. Mrs. Weasley made a bed up for you in the sitting room, and I am going to go with Arthur to inform your friends. You can see them in the morning, after everyone has had time to take this in. You must remember that Professor Snape is new at this, as are you. And Severus, I want you to remember the conversation we had only a few days ago."

The boy and the man glared at each other one last time, before Harry went to the sitting room with Mrs. Weasley ushering him. She fussed and got him tucked in and when she finally slowed down, she took his hand.

"Are you alright Harry dear?"

He looked into her kind brown eyes and finally told her the truth for once.

"I'm scared out of my head. And to top it off I am ugly as sin."

Molly leaned down, kissing his cheek. Usually he didn't like being smothered by affection, but it was strangely reassuring now.

"Harry dear, if your mother could fall in love with Severus Snape, then any girl can overlook a rather big nose to see a man with an amazing heart underneath it. And if not then the bloody twit wouldn't deserve you. He may seem rather mean and sharp, but he loved your mother too. I have the feeling that..that he is trying. In his own way. And if things don't work out I will have you here as my eighth Weasley. I promise."

Harry was moved by this, so moved he couldn't look her in the eye.

"Really?"

Molly looked toward the kitchen before responding.

" Consider it a Wizards Oath."


End file.
